Sliding door operating mechanism



Dec. 11, 1951 R. E. DE CAMP ET AL 2,577,878

SLIDING DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 17, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS Cyf far/.5 05 0441p By Boa/(M511 Ma low Dec. 11, 1951 R. E. DE CAMP ET AL 2,577,878

SLIDING DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 17, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS -l4yi 056441;

Dec. 11, 1951 R. YEJDE CAMP ETAL SLIDING DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 17, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS 164m}? 056 24 e 1, 1951 R. E. DE CAMP ETAL 2,577,878

SLIDING DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 1'7, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 fi fz 3 M93 M94 w u n o o o o u u 96 INVENTORS' fivri 05 (1442p BY foam m 7 /05/020 Dec. 11, 1951 R. E. DE CAMP ETAL 2,577,878

SLIDING DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 17, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 13 j 13 2 j g f INVENTORS [4y 05 (AMP BY foe/(wan 25/1020 1 I r 1 I z Patented Dec. 11, 1951 SLIDING DOOR OPERATING BIECHANISM Ray 15.. De Camp, Glendale, and Rockwell Hereford, Pasadena, Calif., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Consolidated Western Steel Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application November 17, 1947, Serial N0. 786,464

1 3 Claims.

Our invention relates to an operating mechanism for sliding type doors and has particular reference to a modified mechanism for operating doors of the type disclosed in the copending application of Ray E. DeCamp, one of the present inventors, Serial No. 658,344, filed March 29, 1946, which issued as Patent No. 2,553,637 and entitled Door and Operating Mechanism Therefor.

In this prior application there is disclosed a multi-paneled articulated type of sliding door that is suspended from swinging arms of the rolling hangers. This type of suspension not only permits the door to move in a direction parallel to its plane but also permits it to move transversely to its plane so that the door may be fitted within a door frame. This type of door is particularly suitable for refrigerated vehicles such as railway cars, highway trucks, etc., wherein a tight fit between door and frame must be obtained and at the same time the door must not swing outwardly any appreciable distance.

In view of the fact that the doors must be opened more or less fully to permit the ready loading and unloading of the vehicle, it follows that whenever the standard type of hinged door is to be opened an ample space must be provided between the wall of the vehicle and any adjacent obstruction. It frequently occurs, therefore, that the vehicle is located too closely to building walls or other obstructions to permit the standard type of hinged door to be opened. This condition is particularly true with respect to refrigerated railway cars wherein the cars may be located upon a siding adjacent a warehouse or unloading platform disposed so close to the tracks as to prevent the opening of the door even though there may be ample space provided for the removal of the contents of the car after the door has been opened.

The type of door disclosed in the above mentioned application eliminates this difliculty inherent in hinged doors by providing a sliding door that utilizes very little space. In addition, however, it obtains a tight fit within the door frame in a manner similar to hinged doors and in a manner greatly superior to the ordinary sliding door. This is obtained by the use of rolling hangers with swinging arms, together withmulti-paneled doors wherein the panels are hinged or otherwise articulated.

The present, invention provides a simplified operating mechanism for opening and closing doors of this type and may therefore be an im- 2 provement in the operating mechanism disclosed in that application.

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide a simplified operating mechanism for multi-paneled articulated doors of the sliding type. Another object of our invention is to provide an improved operating mechanism for actuating the swinging arms on rolling hangers for doors of the type disclosed in the above mentioned application, particularly by applying a torque to the outer end of the swinging arms and thereby roll the hangers on their tracks and move the door transversely to its plane.

A further object of our invention is to provide an actuating mechanism for swinging arm rolling hangers that gives great leverage to an operator at the initial stage of opening and at the final stage of door closing.

It is a general object. of our invention to also provide improvements in detail in an operating mechanism of the type described so as to make it more positive in action, simpler to use and more free from defects than those of the prior art.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will be apparent from a study of the following specifications, read in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevation view of the door section and door of a'railway car, provided with a door operating mechanism made particularly in accordance with our invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the side of the railway car of Fig. 1 but with parts broken away illustrating the position of the door panels and parts of the linkages when the door is in a closed condition;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrat ing the position of the door panels of the operating mechanism during the initial stages of opening of the door;

Fig. 4 is a view taken similarly to Fig. 2 but illustrating the relation of the door panels when in a position to be rolled or slid along the outer side of the railway car; I

Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevation view. of the operating mechanism at the central part of the top of the door;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged top view of the operating mechanism of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6a is an enlarged top view of the operating mechanism of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6b is an enlarged top view of the operating mechanism of Fig. 4;

Fig.7isanenlargedsectionalviewtakenalong line-VII-VII of Pig. 1 and showing the lower central and upper side hanger mechanism;

Fig. 8 is a view of the torque rod for the operating mechanism as taken along line VIII-VH1 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 but illustrating the position of the torque rod of Fig. 8 when the door is in an opened position Fig.10isasectionalviewtakenalongline X-X of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary top sectional view of the left-hand top swing arm of Pig. 1, illustrating the stop mechanism for rotating the swinging arm as the door approaches a closed position;

Fig. 12 is an elevation view of the handle latch mechanism showing the operating bar as locked by the latch in solid lines and showing the latch open in broken outline;

Fig. 13 is a top view of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary enlarged horizontal sectional view through the door Joint;

Fig. 15 is an enlarged sectional view along line XV-XV of Fig. 14;

Fig. 18 is an enlarged elevation view of a modifled form of rolling hanger;

Fig. 1'1 is a sectional view along line xvn-xvn of Fig. 16; v

Fig. 18 is a perspective view of the hinge joint of Figs. 14 and 15;

Fig. 19 is an elevation view of a modified form of door construction utilizing only one operating mechanism;

Fig. 20 is a sectional view along the line xx-xx of Fig. 19 illustrating the door in a closed position;

Fig. 21 is a view similar to Fig. 20 but illustrating the door in a toggle position;

Fig. 22 is an enlarged elevation view of the left-hand door hanger of Fig. 19;

Fig. 23 is a sectional view along the line XXIII-XXIII of Fig. 22 illustrating the cam lock of the door hanger;

Fig. 24 is an enlarged elevation view of the central door hanger of Fig. 19;

Fig. 25 is a sectional view along the line XXV-XXV of Fig. 24 illustrating the pofltion of the hanger when the door is closed;

Fig. 26 is a view similar to Fig. 25 but illustrating the position of the hanger arm when the door is open: and t Fig. 27 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the hinged portion of the door panels of Figs. 20 and 21 illustrating in detail the construction of the seal strips.

Although we have illustrated our invention in the drawings as applied to railway car doors, it will be readily apparent that this construction could be employed on any type of vehicle and. in fact, could quite readily be applied to stationary installations such as cold storage rooms, large refrigerators, etc. It will therefore be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the embodiment of the drawings is illustrative only and is not definitive or limiting with respect to the scope of our invention.

Referring to Fig. 1, the side of a railway car 22 maybeprovidedwithadoor frame 2| inwhich may be disposed a multi-paneled door 22 and for purposes of illustration this door may be provided with two separate panels 220 and 221). These panels may be hinged together and preference is expressed for the hinge structure of Figs. 14, 15 and 18 although it will be obvious from the following description that an! W of hinge structure will functionally carry out the purposes of our invention. The door 22 may be suspended from three rolling hangers including a lest-hand hanger 2s, a center hanger 2s and a right-hand hanger 2, all mounted on a track 2. Theoottomofthedoor slmaybeguioed by a roller guide assembly 21 making contact with a retaimng strip 2s.

The door 22 may be swung inwardly and outwardly of the door frame 2! by means of an operating mechanism 2| constructed particularly in accordance with our invention and disposed centraliy of the door. that is. adlaeent the hinge joint. The operating may include anoperatinghanolesl asweilasalinkssconnecting the central rolling hanger 24 with the right-hand roiling hanger 25. This handle may be held in a 1100: close" position as illustrated inFigJbymeansofalocxmechanismlland when released rrom the lock it may be rotated in a horizontal plane through to thereafter be retained in a second or door open" position by lock mechanism 24. The details of the lock mechanismslsandu,whichareidentical,are illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13.

The present operating effects opening and closing of the door 22 in the same manner as the mechanism of the prior application. that is. by applying a torque to the outer end of swinging arms pivoted to the hangers supporting the door. These swinging arms are best illustrated in Fig. 1 and may be referred to generally by the rererence character 15 for all of the hangers and including also the swingin arm on the lower rolling guide 21. These swinging arms as are so mounted on their respective rolling hangers as to have a iulll20 of swing and accordingly may rotate from a position generally parallel to the car door as illustrated in Fig. 1 toa position substantially at right angles to the car door as illustrated in Fig. 4. It will be appreciated therefore that when a torque is applied to the outer ends of these arms suiilcient to roll the han ers along their track, the arms will assume an increasingly larger angle with respect to the side of the railway car 20 and accordingly that portion of the door supported at the swinging arm will be moved outwardly away from the side of the car.

The swinging arms 25 of the hangers 22, 24 and 2| support the weight of the door 22 and accordingly the outer end of each swinging arm as may be provided with a downwardly disposed shaft is which may pass through bearing brackets 21 at the two sides of the door whereas the shaft 20 of the central arm 25 may pass through an actuating bracket 28. Nuts 32 may be secured to the protruding end of the shaft portions as so as to carry the weight of the door as the bearing brackets 21 and Is bear against them. The arm II on the rolling guide 21 may be provided with an upwardly projecting shaft portion 25a passing through a lower actuating bracket ll The principal application of torque to the swinging arms II is atthe central partof the door and accordingly torque is applied to the shaft 26 passing through the actuating bracket 4| at the bottom of the door. This torque is applied to these shafts by means of crank arms 42 rigidly secured to the respective shafts l5 and 25a. Thecrankarmsflareconnectedbymeansofan adjustable connecting rod 41 to a crank 44 mounted for rotation in the respective brackets II and II. The cranks 44 are adapted to be operated simultaneously by being secured to a common torque rod 45. 'The rod 45 may be manually rotated because. of a driving connection between tr operating bar or handle and the rod. There ore, rotation of the handle 3| in a horizontal plane causes the torque rod 45 to rotate and this motion is transmitted through the cranks 44, connecting rods 43 and crank .arms 42 mounted on the arm shafts 36 and 36a of the associated swinging arms 35. The rotation of the arms 35 causes the center of the door to swing outwardly or inwardly according to the direction of rotation.

Referring now to the details of construction, reference may be had to Fig. 7 for an illustration of the construction of the hanger 25 which is generally similar to the other hangers 23 and 24. In that figure it will be noted that the rail 26 may have the general form of a downwardly opening channel. The hanger 25 accordingly may be provided with a weight supporting roller 56 mounted upon a body member 41 of the hanger which may have a C-shaped pivot section (Fig. 1) 48, to which the swinging arm 35 may be pivoted. The upper part of the C-shaped frame section 48 may have a guide roller 5| mounted thereon contacting the inside of the outer flange of the channel track 26. Accordingly therefore the wheels 46 and 5| cooperate, one assuming the weight and the other to guide the weight assuming wheel accurately on the track.

Referring now to the roller guide 21, reference may also be had to Fig. 7 and it will be noted that this guide may have a simplified construction. It will be noted also that the retaining strip 28 may have a downwardly depending lower edge which may be contacted by an angle iron portion 52 of the roller guide to restrain the guide from moving outwardly away from the side of the car 20. The guide may be provided with a roller 53 to contact the outer face of the retaining strip 28.

The bearing bracket 38 will next be described and this may be considered as illustrative with the substantially identical bracket 4| at the lower edge of the door. Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, it will be noted that the bracket 38 may be substantially of a single piece construction, for example, as by a forging or casting. The bearings for the swinging arm shaft 36 and for the crank 44 may be completed, however, by double recess bearing caps 54 secured at top and bottom to the bracket, for example, by screws 55 or studs and nuts. The .crank arm 42 may be secured to the arm shaft 36 prior to assembly because of this split bearing construction. A crank pin 56 may be disposed in'the crank arm 42 for securing the associated end of the connecting rod 43. As mentioned previously, the nuts 39 on the bottom of the arm shafts 36 support the weight of the door from the swinging arms 35. It should also be noted with respect particularly to Fig. 5 that the shaft axes of the shaft 36 and of the crank 44 (and the torque rod 45) remain fixed, the crank axis of the crank 44 being revolved and in turn driving the crank arm 42. The construction of the torque rod 45 is best illustrated in Figs. 1, 8, 9 and 10, together with the connection of the handle thereto Referring to Fig. 1, it will be noted that a pivot bracket 51 may be secured to one panel of the door 22, for example, the panel 22a to form a pivot upon an angled projection 58 of the torque rod 45. Further, it will be noted that bracket 5'1 is at the axial pivot of the rod itself. The handle 3| may be pivotally secured to the torque rod 45 by means of a pin 59 passing through the outer end of the angle 58 and through the torque rod 45. When the handle 3| is rotated in a horizontal plane through the torque rod 45 will be disposed outwardly of the pivot bracket 51, as is clearly illustrated in Fig. 9. This outwardly disposed position provides a good manual grasp for sliding the door on its track once the door has been released from its door frame.

The lock for the operating bar or handle 3| is illustrated in detail in Figs. 12 and 13 and accordingly each lock 33 and 34 may have a base member 6| secured to the door and which may have a general L-shape to provide a socket in which the operating bar 3| may rest. Pivoted to the top of this bracket may be a dog leg member 62 adapted to close the L-shape bracket 6| so as to enclose the operating bar 3|. Accordingly the bar may be locked in any position by this dog leg and the lock may be secured, for example, by passing a padlock through register apertures 53 in each element.

The operating bar 3| may be released from the lock 33-34 by rotating the dog leg 62 to the broken outline position of Fig. 12. The operating bar 3| may then be raised upwardly a slight distance to clear the outer hook of the L-shape bracket 6| and it may then be pulled outwardly away from the door. The bar 3| may-be automatically looked upon closing due to a projecting portion 64 of the dog leg 62 when the dog leg is in an open position. Accordingly therefore dropping of the bar upon the open lock will cause the bar to strike this projection and rotate the dog leg to the closed position illustrated, enclosing the bar at the same time.

The presently preferred hinge structure for the door panels 220. and 22b is illustrated in Figs. 14, 15 and 18. In this connection it should vbe noted that a railway car or other vehicle is not a rigid unyielding structure but must be made flexible. This flexing results in frequent elastic deformation of the door frame 2| and if a solid single panel door were thrust with little clearance into the door frame the yielding and deformation of the door frame would soon crush the edges. Therefore, the hinge structure illustrated is designed to accommodate the bending and twisting of the car that results in change of shape of the door frame. This change of shape is further accommodated by the multi-panel nature of our door, permitting each panel to move independently.

Referring to these figures it will be noted that the joining edges may be recessed at the back edge thereof as at 65 to receive a pair of spring centers 66 to center a pair of springs 61. Since these springs are compression springs and are disposed toward the inner edge of the two panels, the springs will tend to push the doors apart and accordingly when resisted by a hinge structure 68 will tend to straighten the doors. The springs are prevented from straightening the door past dead center by means of a strip 60 secured to one of the panels, which strip may also be of a resilient material to act as a seal.

The hinge structure 66 may be in the form of of the point. Likewise the-springs 01 may be poei-' tioned in panel joints generally opposite each hingeinasmuchasreceeeesmustbeformedfor each.

A seal for the bottom edge of the door to prevent the escape of cold air may take the form of a recessed figure eight rubber seal 12 adapted to press against a ramp strip It. A doorsill plate It may form the bottom part of the door frame and is preferably of heavy metal so as to receive one end of the usual loading and unloading ramp board, the inner end of which may press against the ramp strip It. It will be noted that in the region of the door Joint the figure eight seal I! may be backed up or supported by the compression springs 01. The joint between the panels may be sealed along its length by means of a flexible fabric 1| secured to each side.

A modified form of hanger for use with our invention is illustrated in Figs. 16 and 17 and may include a frame member mounted for rolling upon an angle member It by means of a single central roller 11. A downwardly opening channel II may be secured to the upper end of the angle II to provide a track for resisting outward pulls on the hanger and a pair of rollers 10 may fit within this channel. A swinging arm it may be suitably pivoted to the body member ll. The guide rollers It disposed on either side of the weight assuming roller ll prevents twisting and turning of the hanger as a whole.

Referring now to the operation of our mechanism, reference may be had particularly to Figs. 1 through 6. The door 22 is illustrated in a closed condition in Figs. 1 and 2. In this connection it will be noted that the door frame It may include projecting tongues its to not only provide a seal but to also restrain the closed door from slipping outwardly. It is therefore apparent that the door cannot merely be shoved in and out but must be opened and closed with an action akin to the usual hinged door but without the geometrical limitations of a hinged door. Accordingly to open the door 22 the center Joint must be first pulled outwardly as illustrated in Fig. 3 until one or both sides of the door have been pulled away from the interlocking door lamb or door frame construction. When this has been achieved, one of the edges may then be pulled outwardly, as is illustrated in Pig. 4.

This sequence of movements for opening may 8 rodandcrankarmsissoadlustedastosivesreatest torque for the initial openingoperation' when itismostneededandforthefinalclosingoperationwhenitisalsomostneeded.

Thisanguiarrelationofparisisbestillustrated inFlgs.2through6anditwillbenotedthatthe crankarmflisdispoee'datasubstantialangle totheswingingarmlltowhichitisconnected. Purthenitwillbenotedthatthecrankllis mounted on the torque rod. ll at an angle just slightly "past" the operatingbarfl soastodisposeitascloselyaspcasibleagainstthedoorpanel 22b. Thispositionofthecrankuwithmectto thecrankarmflgivesthegratestpo-ible torquearmlengthordirectionofthrustuponthe crankarmflbytheintermediaryoftheconnectingrod. Duringtheinitialstagesofrotationof the handle II, therefore, the gratest available thrustwillbebroughttobearuponthecrankll totherebyrotatetheswingingarmlltowhichit isconnected.

when the handle ll hasbeenrotated approximately 45', the relation of parts is illustrated in Figs.3and6a. 'Ihereitwillbenotedthatthedirection of thrust upon the crank arm 42 is less favorable than initially inasmuch as it is not at right angles to the crank arm. However, the swingingarmtlhasalreadypasseditsmostresistive position in that the angle of armfltctherollertrackllhasincreasedtoa substantial amount.

The relation of parts at the final stage of opening isillustratedinFigs. (anddbandthereitwill be noted that the effective leverage between the crank and the crank arm has been materially reduced due to the unfavorable direction of thrust v relationships at the bearing bracket 38 (and also atthebearingbracketll) itwillberealizedthat 45 the maximum amount of leverage between the operatingbar ii and theswingingarmsllisobtained at the initial opening action when this leverage is most required. With the subsequent portions of the opening action little leverage isrequired and accordingly a diminution in mechanical advantage is of little importance. Additionally. the drive Just shown provides in effect a reduction gearing whereby 180 rotation of the operatingbarll willresultinsubstantiallyless movement of the swing arm ll.

be effected by an operator releasing the lock a and rotating the operating bar ll through a horizontal plane for 180. He may if desired then secure the operating bar II in the lock 34. The initial rotation of the bar ii is illustrated in Figs. 3 andeaandthereitwillbenotedthatthecrank 44 has been rotated through the same angle as the operating bar it inasmuch as they are rigidly interconnected by the torque rod ll. The crank 44 accordingly will act through its connecting rod ll upon the crank arm 42 to rotate the shaft portion It of the associated swinging arm 35. The interconnection of the cranks and their angular dispositions are so related, however, that 180 of rotation of the operating bar effects only about 110' or 120 rotation of the swinging arm 35. Additionally. the arrangement of crank, connecting Furthermore, it will be noted that the elemblyofpartsillustratedinlfigsJJaandBbisof a compact nature and there will be little pro- Jection of these parts outwardly from the face of so the car door that would detract from the dimensional benefit received from utilising this particular type of door construction and door suspension.

The opening action of the central swing hangers having now been described. it will be apparent that some means must be provided to swing at least one edge of the door outwardly from the frame after the "toggle" formed by the two door panels has been broken outwardly, as

9' illustrated in m. a. While this outward movement of one edge could be effected manually, we

as'ms'n may be pivoted to the central swing arm 35 at a point 33 intermediate its length and may be pivoted to the swing arm 35 of the sliding bracket 25 at a point adjacent its outermost end. Preferably the connection to the arm of hanger 25 is by means of a projection 82 formed outwardly of the pivot on the outer end of the arm of the bracket 25. Therefore, when the hanger 25 is disposed inwardly of the righthand edge of the door 22, it will be apparent that a torque must be applied to roll the hanger 25 to a position generally opposite the righthand edge oi,the, door so as to move that edge outwardly of the door frame 2|. This action is afforded by the connecting strip or rod 32 and this action will best be observed from a comparison of Figs. 3 and 4. It should be home in mind in this connection that the pivot axis of the supporting shaft 36 on the central swinging arm 35 is substantially fixed and that the hanger 24 moves with respect to this axis. Accordingly, therefore, the pivot point 83 of the left-hand end of the rod 32 will be translated to the left as the center part of the door 22 is moved outwardly, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. This movement of the connecting rod 32 to the left will act upon the swing arm '35 of bracket 25 to roll that bracket to the right and at the same time move the right-hand edge of the door outwardly from the frame.

It will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 1, however, that the movement of the righthand edge of the door must take place only after the central part of the door has been moved outwardly; otherwise the projecting tongue 2|a will bind the door at the frame. This sequence of operations is timed by the point of attachment 83 of the left-hand end of the rod 32 as well as the location of the pivot point on the right-hand swing arm. Thus during the initial stages of rotation of the central swing arm 35 there will be little. translation of the pivot point 83 to the left and accordingly there will be no tendency for the right-hand edge of the door to me moved outwardly. However, during the final of movement of the central swing arm 35 there will be a substantial translation of the pivot point 83 to the left which will act through the projection 82 to swing the right-hand bracket 25 and move the righthand edge of the door outwardly after the toggle has been broken.

Once the door has reached the position illustrated in Fig. 4, the left-hand edge of the door may be released by operating a handle 84 (Fig. 1) on an eccentric type of catch 85 that contracts a projecting pin 86 on the railway car. This will release the left-hand edge of the door and thereafter the door may be manually pushed toward the right and at the same time an outward pull may be placed on the left-hand edge of the door, causing it to swing outwardly on the swing arm 35 of the rolling hanger 23. This action is aided by the compression springs 67 (Figs. 14 and 15) at the panel joint. The door will then be perfectly parallel to the side of the railway car 20 and may be rolled suillciently far to the right on the track 28 with the assistance of the lower retaining strip 28 until the doorway 2| is completely cleared. This rolling may be performed by pushing against,

the torque rod 45 which will project outwardly from the door when the door is open, as illustrated clearly in Fig. 9.

4 l0 is manually pushed toward the left until the left-hand swing arm 35 that is attached to the hanger 23 strikes a projecting cam 81 (Fig. 11), causing that swing arm to be rotated from a perpendicular position to a position parallel with the side of the car. The door will then be in the position illustrated in Fig. 4 and the manual latch handle 84 (Fig, 1) may then be operated to lock the left-hand edge of the door to the door frame 2|. The operating bar 3| will at this time be held in the latch 34 which may be opened by rotating the dog leg 62 (Fig. 12) upwardly so as to release the bar. The bar 8| may then be rotated through a horizontal plane to effect the closing.

The initial closing motion of the bar 3| will act through the torque tube 45 and consequently the crank 44 and connecting rod 48 and crank 42 to rotate the central swing arm 35 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, about the axis of the downwardly depending swing arm shaft 35. While there will be very little movement of the central part of the door into its door frame during this initial angular movement, this movement will be conveyed through the rod 32 to act on the short projection 82 to roll the right-hand swing arm 35 in a counterclockwise direction at a relatively rapid rate. For this reason the right-hand edge of the door will be positioned within the door frame 2| when the central swing arm is rotated about 45. Thereafter further actuation of the handle 3| will cause the central swing arm 35 to be rotated to the position illustrated in Fig. 2 wherein the door will be completely closed. The closed door will be prevented from sliding outwardly from its door frame because of the projecting tongues 2|a in addition to the bearing of the hanger swing arms inwardly to hold the door in position.

It should be noted that during the final stages of closing the greatest amount of torque must be applied to the central swing arm 35 and that the construction of the crank 44, connecting rod 43and crank arm 42 is particularly adapted to ive the maximum amount of mechanical advantage' to the operator using the handle 3| at this time. Thus it will be noted that in Figs. 2 and 6 the connecting rod 43 is substantiallyat right angles to the crank arm 42, this giving the maximum amount of power transfer between the torque rod 45 and the crank arm 42. The mechanical advantage of the linkages will be less during the initial closing stages, as is clearly illustrated in Figs. 4 and 6b but this is of little consequence inasmuch as relatively little power is required at this stage of the closing to move the door into position.

Once the door is fully closed, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the side walls thereof will be sealed against the leakage of air by means of the projecting tongues 2|a which may, if desired, be of resilient material such as rubber. The bottom of the door will be sealed as illustrated most clearly in Fig. 14 because of the bearing of the figure eight seal 12- against the ramp strip 13. During movement of the railway car the door frame will change its shape as the car elastically deforms and weaves while traveling but this change in shape will be accommodated by the two-panel construction of the door 22, namely, the panels 22a and 22b. The relative sliding of the door panels will be accommodated by the hinge construction at the central part of the door, as most when it is desired to close the door, the door clearly illustrated in Fig. 18.

Itwillbenotedfroma'ninspectionofl'igi thatv the operating mechanism may incorporate standard units that can be employed on any size of door. the only changes being required for different sizes of doors residing in the length of the torque'rod 4| and the length of the interconnecting strip l2. Also for doors of dilferent thickness, hanger arms of different lengths ma be employed. The invention therefore makes feasible the mass production of these door elements, permitting held installation to accommodate different sizes by merely varying these two elements onLv. v

Addltionally.itwillbenotedfroml"igs.landl that the offset character of the pipe not only makes possible a stronger connection of the operating handle li .to the torque rod 4!, but also is combined with a pivot structure II at the point where the torque isapplied to the torque rod ll. Therefore the torque rod ll not only projects outwardly for a maximum manual grasp when the door is open but also is ideally constructed for hard service and long life. The latch mechanismsllandll (Pigs.l2andl3) areruggedand simple to provide for eflective locking of the operating bar II in either a door open or door closed position.

Referring to Fig. 19. there is illustrated a modified form of door construction disposed uponan illustrative freight car ll wherein the door may include two panels lid and lib. The door may beofthesamegeneraltypeasthatofl'ig.lin that it is articulated at the middle and closes with a toggle action and is supported by a plurality of rolling hangers, a left-hand hanger ll, a central hanger ll, and a right-hand hanger ll, all of which may be of the same general construction. The principal difference between the door ofl'ig. l9 and thatofl'ig. l'is inthe use of a single operating mechanism ll to which may be attached an actuating handle ll, and the resulting motion from which may be transmitted by a torque tube ll to actuate swing arms ll forming a part of the central hanger ll and also forming a part of a lower guide ll.

The door construction of Fig. 19 does not rely merely upon the rotation of the swing arms of the hangers to maintain the door closed, but instead incorporates a six-point locking action including a .locking of the right edge of the door by two bar locks Ill, a cam closure action on the lefthand hanger l2, and a cam closure action on a manual latch ill disposed at the lower portion of the left-hand edge of the door. The other two points of retention include the central hanger ll and the lower guide ll.

The operation of the bar locks is illustrated with reference to Figs. 20 and 21. There it will be noted that the bars Ill may slide in grooves ill that have a considerable dimensional tolerance. The bars ili may be secured to the opposite panel lib by means of a projecting rod ill W at the joint between the panels and including a pin connection ill to the respective bar locks ill. when the door is closed. as illustrated in Fig. 20, the bar locks ili may project into recesses ill formed in the edge of a door frame Ill into which the door panels ll fit.

The action of the bar locks ili iseffected by opening the doors in toggleposition as illustrated in Fig. 21, and the central disposition of a hinge structure I" between the panels gives a spreading of the panels at their outer edge which causes theprojectingrod illtopullon thebarlocks ill to withdraw them out of their locking recessesill. Asthedoorsareclosedwiththe l2 actiondescribedrelativetoHg .3.ln barlockswillbewithdrawnuponclosingin position. and will project upon full closure. illustrated in Fig. 20. The use of the ill makes unnecessary a dependence closing action of the right-hand hanger l accordingly the door frame ill may be pe squareorflatinasmuchasnorelianceis for projecting tongue and grooves to hold door in locked position. This greatly facilita Figs. 5 and 8, except that the handle ll may be pivoted to the outer crank portion a, thus applyin powerdirectlytothismemberinsteadof applying it indirectly through 'a torque rod as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. The resultant motion of the torque rod ll acts upon the outer ends of the swing arms ll to move the door inwardly or outwardly according to the direction of rotation.

The upper rolling hanger ll is illustrated in detail in Figs. 24, 25 and 26, and may be essentially similar to the rolling hanger illustrated a ball ill that assumes the thrust due to the weight of the door.

The central hanger ll may be interconnected to the right-hand hanger l4 by a rod ill interconnecting the swing arms of these two hangers. This rod may operate in a fashion similar to the rod 32 of Fig. l, and its attachment to the central rolling hanger ll is illustrated in Figs. 24 and 26 as including a pair of projecting ears lli between which may be pivoted a screw eye in adaptedtobethreadedintotherod illforlength adjustment.

The camming action of the left-hand hanger l2 that was previously mentioned is illustrated in detail in Figs. 22 and 23. There it will be noted that a bracket Ill attached to the door panel lit for receiving the swing arm lie of the rolling hanger may be provided with a projecting tongue I. This tongue is adapted to project in a hook ill when the door is closed as isillustrated in Fig. 23. The swing arm Ila may also contact cams (not shown) similar to the construction illustrated in Fig. 11 for effecting an initial closure of the left-hand edge of the door. When the door edge is disposed substantially within the door frame, the projecting tongue I will fit within the hook ill, and as the door is moved from a toggle position to a flat closed position. the tongue and nook will solidly engage to maintain the door in a locked position.

Asimilarcammingactionmaybeincorporated in the manual latch ill of Fig. 19, and this camming action is illustrated in Figs. 20 and 21. Accordingly the manual latch may includeacatch member ill adapted to engage a projecting pin ill. Mounted on the same bracket with the pin I21 may be a hook member ill that will-engage an angled end ills of the catch. Accordingly acne-1a when the left-hand door edge is disposed within the frame, the catch I28 may be looked over the pin I21 and as the door rotates to a flat closed position, the angled end I28 will make a positive engagement with the hook I28 to secure the left edge of the door as illustrated in Fig. 20.

The structure of the door panels 9Ia and 8"; at the region of the joint orhinge is illustrated in detail in Fig. 27. There it will be noted that the hinge I01 may be formed of oppositely disposed plates having hooks formed on the end thereof and having a pin I'Ia passing between them. As is also the case with the hinge structure of Fig. 18, there is preferably a fair amount of play between the opposite hook members along the axis of the pin I0'Ia. This allows the door panels to move relative to each other in response to twistings of the railroad car 90 during transit or other maneuver. The inner edge of each panel 9i may be provided with a recess I29, each including a raised rib I 3i extending substantially the entire height of the door. Each panel may also be provided with an overlapping plate I32 having edges spaced from each other a distance sufilcient to allow the panels to assume a large angle with respect to each other. A fabricated strip board I33 may be disposed between the plates I32 and the projecting ribs I3I to act as a seal and thermal insulation for the joint between the panels. This strip board may include a channel-shaped member I34 in which may be disposed a sheet of fabric, rubber, or other flexible material I35, and a wear strip I38 may be fitted within the channel on top of the sheet material I35. The sheet material I35 may extend between the inner plates I32 on the body of the panels.

The action of the sealing strip I33 upon flexing of the door is illustrated in Fig. 21, and there it will be noted that the strip I33 in effect divides the angle between the panels and maintains a tight seal that will accommodate this flexing of the panels. The sheet material I35 at all times maintains an absolute seal against the passage of air, whereas the body of the strip I33 acts as very ample thermal insulation. If desired, springs may be supplied for the door such as those illustrated in Figs. 14 and 15 to assist in the straightening of the panel either upon opening or closing.

The operation of the door of Fig. 19 is generally similar to that of Fig. 1. Assuming that the door is closed as illustrated in Fig. 19, an operator may unlatch the handle 98, may then rotate the handle which causes the outer crank 95a to rotate, and this motion in turn is imparted to the torque rod 91 to act on the outer end of the swing arms 98 to move the center part of the door outwardly as illustrated in Fig. 21. Movement of the door to the position illustrated in Fig. 21 removes the lock bars IOI from their recesses I05, unlatching the right side of the door, and thereafter the motion of the upper swing arm 98 acts through the connecting rod II9 to swing the arm of the right-hand hanger 94 to move the right-hand edge of the door outwardly to the position generally illustrated in Fig. 4. This position, and in fact the position illustrated in Fig. 21, releases the retaining cams I24 and I28 (Figs. 23 and 21, respectively) so that the left edge of the door is free to move. Manual action or the action of any springs incorporated in the hinge between the panels will then move the left edge outwardly so that the 14 entire door is parallel to .the railway car 88.

An operator may then push against the torque rod 81 .or any other part of the door so that the door rolls freely on its hangers 92, 83, and

'84 to provide free access to the doorway or door hand hanger 92 contacts a cam, for example a cam similar to that of Fig. 11, and the swing arm is then progressively rotated until the left edge of the door is disposed within the door frame in the general position illustrated in Fig. 4. Thereafter the operator may rotate the handle 88 from right to left, causing a rotation of the torque rod 91 which rotates the upper and lower hangers 98. The closing action of the upper hanger 88 is imparted through the rod II9 to the swing arm of the right-hand hanger 94, causing that hanger to dispose the right edge of the door inwardly as illustrated in Fig. 21. Further rotation of the handle 98 to the position illustrated in Fig. 19 causes the entire door to become flat within the door frame I08, as illustrated in Fig. 20. The last part of the closing action causes the lock bars IM to project within their locking recesses I05, and this closing action also causes the cam members I24 and I28 to act against their respective hooks I25 and I28 to lock the left edge of the door also. The center of the door is locked by the action of the torque rods 81 on the outer ends of the swing arms 98.

While we have described our invention with respect to specific embodiments thereof, we do not limit ourselves to these embodiments since it is obvious that various modifications could be made therein without departing from the true spirit and scope of our invention. For example, it will be apparent that a gearing could be used at the brackets 28 and 4i instead of a crank and rod, but we prefer the crank and connecting rod inasmuch as these are more rigid and in addition can be suitably adjusted. Additionally, it may be desirable to support the center weight of the door for the initial opening and final closing stages by having an outwardly projecting cam or support bracket engaged either by the door or by a projecting end of the torque rod 45 or its extension.

Further, it will be obvious that no particular type of door panel construction is contemplated and that our invention may be employed with any type of multi-paneled door. While two panels are illustrated, it is obvious that any number of panels could be effectively operated. Further, the hangers could be rolled in either direction of the swing arm shafts to effect opening and closing. Also, a connecting link between the left-hand hanger and the central hanger could be employed for moving the left edge at the proper time.

For these and various other reasons the disclosure made in this application is merely illustrative and not definitive of our invention.

We claim:

1. In a mechanism for operating a refrigerator car door of the type including a panel adapted to be bodily set into and pulled out of an opening in the car wall defined by spaced jambs, a lintel and a sill, a pair of arms pivoted on hangers adapted to travel horizontally above said lintel, said arms extending above the upper edges of the door and having pivot pins depending therefrom and journaled on the outer face of the door, a manually operable torque rod extending vertically of the door, and connecting means whereby rotation of said rod turns once! said arms. the combination therewith o! a crank on the other 0! said arms, and a link pivotaliy connected to said crank and to a point on said one of said arms intermediate the ends thereof eflective to transmit angular motion from said one of said arms to the other.

2. In a mechanism for operating a retrlaerator car door the combination therewith as delined in claim 1 characterized by said crank arm and said point being disposed'and located to actuate the second arm only after initial angular motion of said one of said arms. whereby one edge of the door is moved only after initial movement of the other. I

3. In a mechanisin for operating a refrigerator car door the combination therewith as defined in claim 1 characterized by the distance from the pin 0! said one of said arms to said point being 10 greater than the length of said crank.

RAY 1!. DE CAMP. ROCKWELL HEREFORD summons crrm UNITED STATES PATIN'I'B Number Name Date 701,697 Hinier June 3, 1902 845,479 Randall l'eb. 26, 1907 1,439,859 Ballard Dec. 36, in: 1,444,349 Henry Jan. 9, 1923 1,469,719 Dobson Oct. 3, 1923 1,549,806 Penney Aug. 11, 1925 1,566,236 Skurdal Dec. 15. 1925 1,689,507 Bond June 22, 1926 1,603,825 Backman Oct. 19, ms

2,108,224 Haseltine Feb. 15. ms

2,204,753 Dwyer June 13, 1940 2,307,560 Ape] Jan 5, 1.43

2,377,576 Rogers June 5, 1943 2,378,163 Thomas June 12, 1943 2,442,031 Beauchamp May 26, 1943 2,453,793 Hweem NOV. 16, 1'43 

